A2SV 2023: A Year of Inspiring Innovation and Pioneering Tech Education in Africa

Dear Friends and Supporters,

2023 was a year of growth and innovation at A2SV. We focused on hands-on experience and real-world tech development, going beyond traditional education to open doors to career opportunities. Our transformation is not only in the numbers, educating 484 students through our education program in Africa, but in lives changed and futures shaped. We took software engineering education to new levels, focusing on practical skills alongside crucial soft skills, preparing our students not just for the tech industry but for life.

A2SV's impact is clear in the stories of our students—getting job offers in Silicon Valley, working on digital projects for Africa, finding opportunities within A2SV, hosting the biggest hackathon event across the continent, expanding to Ghana, partnering with two more universities, and getting support from Google. This journey was a realization of dreams and possibilities.

Empowering Dreams Through Quality Education

In an environment where traditional computer science education often falls short, we stood firm in our mission to bring quality, tailored tech education to Africa, free of charge, ensuring accessibility for all students. Our partnerships with universities in Ethiopia and Ghana allowed us to reach more students, providing quality education has no boundaries. The impact is seen in the stories of our students, who worked hard, broke barriers, and strived for opportunities outside the norm.

A special appreciation goes to our Heads of Education and their leads - 100% A2SV alumni now employed to teach, lead, and champion our education efforts in Ethiopia and Ghana. Job creation is important for A2SV, which is why we expose these young people aged between 21-23 years of age to leadership positions, building a sustainable program at A2SV.?

Every student who joins us joins a journey of growth and discovery. To do this, we provided in-person education in Ethiopia and Ghana; and remote education to other African countries, totaling educating 484 students when we had aimed to educate 330 students when the year started. With more resources, I am sure we can do more and we look forward to that in the coming years.

Africa Expansion and Impactful Partnerships

At A2SV, we dream of bringing our transformative education to every corner of Africa, one step at a time. Each number has a face, and a story behind it. In March, the first quarter of last year, we expanded to Ghana, partnering with the University of Ghana to train our first cohort of A2SVians in West Africa. Our goal was to teach, inspire, and enable. We made tech education accessible and practical, breaking down financial barriers by offering our courses free of charge.

At the end of 2023, in November we added a third partnership with Adama Science and Technology University in Ethiopia. This marks the third university we have partnered with in Ethiopia, including Addis Ababa University (AAU) and Addis Ababa Science and Technology University (AASTU). Our impact is showing and expansion is inevitable. Having accommodated 53 remote students for G4 Remote Education, this year we aim to increase this number and give a chance to even more students from all over Africa. Perhaps this will determine the next country where we will kickstart another in-person education cohort in 2024 :)

When A2SV started, the students and universities were the only partners we had but in 2023, I am happy to share that we also signed a Memorandum of Understanding between A2SV, Abrehot Library, and the Ethiopian Artificial Intelligence Institute. We are committed to creating valuable partnerships to create the best tech education program across Africa.?

Core Dev Teams Crafting Solutions for Positive Impact

At A2SV, our aspiration has always been to contribute meaningfully to Africa through digital solutions. With this in mind, we looked inward to our community, hoping to harness the collective experiences and insights of our members. This introspection led to the formation of the Core-Dev team, who are A2SV alumni. Some of these team members have had the privilege of learning from experiences at tech companies, including Google, Databricks, and Palantir.?

Grateful for these opportunities, the team was eager to give back. Together, we embarked on a collaborative journey, researching and brainstorming ways to address local challenges. From these discussions, 5 projects emerged, each being a reflection of our sincere desire to make a positive difference in our communities. As we have proven talent in our education program, we also started the journey of creating digital solutions for Africa’s pressing problems effectively.

Here are the 5 projects below and the industries they serve:

1. Adot is a pioneering application designed to accompany women in the stages of their pregnancy and throughout motherhood. It seeks to improve maternal health outcomes in Africa by offering a comprehensive suite of tools, resources, and culturally sensitive pregnancy information in local languages.
2. Akil is a streamlined platform to connect NGOs with the right volunteers, making it easier for them to connect in serving communities. It seeks to enhance volunteer engagement and effectiveness by centralizing data, simplifying recruitment processes, and offering tools for monitoring volunteer efforts.
3. SkillBridge: is an AI-enhanced self-learning platform designed to meet the distinct needs of students. Offering organized exam preparation resources and personalized learning environments, SkillBridge stands as the answer to the challenge faced by over a million students preparing for university exams in Ethiopia.
4. AfroChat: represents an innovative approach to Generative AI, fine-tuned to the limited technological landscape and user behaviors of Africa. This project is dedicated to bridging the digital divide through language integration and revolutionizing customer service with advanced AI capabilities
5. RateEat: addresses the shortage of trustworthy and conveniently available food information in Ethiopia. It compiles thorough information on the menus of restaurants and provides prices, ingredients, and reviews of dishes.

Hosting the Biggest Hackathon in Africa: The Power of Community

Besides our own A2SV projects, we recognize talent in the African context and that a lot of students have ideas and projects they are working on but no sufficient resources to make them seen. This is partly why we organized the largest hackathon in Africa to give thousands of students a chance to be heard and seen. The A2SV Generative AI for Africa? Hackathon had over 3700 participants from 47 African countries who came together, not to just compete, but to learn from each other, to share ideas, and to build solutions that reflect the diverse challenges and potentials of our continent. We made it a multi-stage hackathon, running from August to November, to provide more depth on innovation, ideation, and workshops on generative AI. This hackathon was the biggest in Africa in numbers and impact.

See the hackathon’s reach and impact below:

The top 9 teams who made it through the very competitive quarter and semi-finals, joined us in person in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for the grand finale and US$ 30,000 prize pool. The energy, passion, and creativity were truly inspiring and posed a challenge for us as an organization, pushing us to prepare for more significant events and broader impact.?

Commitment to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

A2SV profoundly impacted African students' lives, aligning with several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This is what we did this year:

• SDG 4: Quality Education - We provided quality education to over 484 students across Africa.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth - Created 142+ employment opportunities at A2SV, with about 80% being young people.
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure - Developed 5 innovative CoreDev products to address challenges in health, education, relief work, and generative AI.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities - Secured 55 global opportunities at top tech companies, such as Google, Block, Inc., Bloomberg, and Goldman Sachs opening doors for talented African youth in competitive global environments and leveling the playing field in the tech industry.
• SDG 17: Partnership for the Goals - Built strong partnerships for tech education across Africa, and collaborated with 4 universities. We also supported remote learning initiatives to enhance global technology skills and promote sustainable community development.

Google's Impact at A2SV

Special thanks to Google for generously sponsoring our mission, enabling us to offer free programs and internship opportunities to talented university students. Through our program, our students are connected to work at top tech companies and are also empowered to create digital solutions to urgent problems in their home countries, regardless of their financial means.

Appreciating the A2SV Team

Before we invite you to join our ongoing mission, I want to express heartfelt appreciation to the A2SV team. This vision couldn't be a reality without their relentless dedication. A2SV is no longer just a single entity, it's a mix of departments, each doing its part. Every day, we see a harmonious collaboration of efforts. Thank you, team.

Your Impact, Our Future

As we approach the beginning of 2024, I extend a heartfelt invitation for you to become a catalyst in our ongoing mission to revolutionize tech education across Africa. Your support is more than a donation; it's a key to unlocking dreams and swinging open doors of opportunity for a brighter future for countless young minds.

Beyond this, your support financially, in mentorship, interview partnerships, and inspiring organization programs, empower these brilliant and hungry minds to create digital solutions for pressing problems in Africa. Quality education is the key, and our students are eager to make a difference. By contributing today, you are investing in the transformation of individuals who, armed with education, can bring about positive change in their lives, communities, and Africa at large.

Your donation directly translates into the opportunity to educate more students in Africa, providing them with a chance to improve their lives by gaining skills that open doors to top tech companies, internships, and full-time employment.

Thank you for considering our mission. Once again, come alongside and join our continuous efforts in tech education across Africa.

Donate Today: https://a2sv.org/?form=donate